Togolese Association New York

“In addition to producing some of the finest beer in the world, New York’s craft breweries are creating jobs, supporting our state’s farmers and hops growers, as well as bringing in tourism dollars in local communities across New York”.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

The farm Brewing Law was passed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2012 and put in to effect January 1, 2013. It was designed to increase demand for locally grown products to further increase economic impact and create new businesses surrounding the brewing industry.

Under the new law, in order to receive a Farm Brewery license in New York State, the beer must be made primarily from locally grown farm products. The schedule for the license is as follows:

– Until the end of 2018, at least 20% of the hops and 20% of all other ingredients must be grown in New York State.

The beer manufactured under these guidelines would be designated as “New York State labeled beer.” The legislation was modeled after the 1976 “Farm Winery Act, ” which spurred the growth of wine production in this state, including the creation of 261 farm wineries and tripling the number of wineries.

Under the farm brewery license, brewers do not need an additional permit to serve beer by the glass, which has the highest return for brewers in terms of sales. Farm brewers can also make cider and serve that cider by the glass. They are allowed to have five branch offices, where they can sell their products and other New York State labeled beer, wine, and spirits by the bottle, in addition to having tasting rooms, retail shops, restaurants, and serve samples and sell at farmers markets.

The growth of farm brewing in New York State has been dramatic, however there are challenges ahead that must be addressed to ensure the future success of this license. In an effort to grow the industry further, we ask that if you are a farm growing hops or barley or processing hops and malt, that you please fill out the form below so we can connect you with farm brewers who need your product.

The Law

Northeast Hops Alliance Hop Growers

NYSBA Farm Brewing Committee

Paul Leone – Executive Director, NYSBA

Rich Vandenburgh – Greenport Harbor, NYSBA Board of Directors

Matt Whalen – Good Nature Brewing

Carrie Blackmore – Good Nature Brewing

Chris Hanson – Climbing Bines

Randy Lacey – Hopshire